Youth Employment Agency opens portal to train 20,000 artisans

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has opened its portal to enrol Ghanaian youth under its Artisanal Trades and Vocation Module to create a minimum of 20,000 sustainable jobs over a two-year period.

The model will be run in collaboration with a multi-industry private sector player that is duly registered and licensed in the country under a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

This is all in the interest of complementing existing youth employment initiatives by the YEA and government.

The initiative, among other things, aims at building the capacity of unemployed and underemployed youth across the country in 10 relevant trades and vocations.

They are auto works, carpentry, gardening, glazing and masonry works, painting, plumbing, beauty care, upholstery, welding and fabrication and steel works.

Training

The model will comprehensively train and provide start-up tools to the 20,000 youth in the relevant trades and vocations by the end of 2024, and provide quality start-up tools and equipment to each of them after a mandatory six months technical training.

The beneficiaries will also be trained in entrepreneurship and business management as part of preparations towards self-employment and be assisted in delivering quality and world-class products and services to the public.

Under the model, a huge number of the beneficiary slots will be allocated to young women to uplift the affirmative action principle to another level, while supporting them to identify entrepreneurial/business opportunities in their respective areas of specialisation within their districts and municipalities.

Assistance

The trainees will also be assisted to access local and international markets for their quality products and services to help expose the country’s rich technical acumen to the world, promote tourism and bring in foreign exchange.

According to YEA, the model is hinged on comprehensive technical training, entrepreneurship and business management, as well as the provision of start-up tools and equipment as avenues of self-employment for the youth.

“We are interested in developing local small-scale businesses to promote commerce and job opportunities.

"There is the need to scale up informal apprenticeship under technical, vocational education and training as both short and long-term measures to tackle youth unemployment," the agency said.

Database

The YEA indicated that it would set up an online database/pool of qualified African Industrial Solution of artisans in order to push the model forward and made it successful.

It said interested applicants could apply through www.yea.gov.gh or apply.yea.gov.gh.

Unemployment

Youth unemployment has been the bane of governments in the country for years.

Indeed, unemployment among the youth has long been described as a national security threat.

It is in this light that the YEA has decided to create sustainable employment for the growing unemployed youth.

The agency believes that this has become more imperative than ever, hence the Youth in Trades and Vocation Model.